Door-opener



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)-

'1). HAWKSWORTH.

DOOR OPENER.

Patented Mar. 31, 1891.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

D. HAWKSWORTH;

DOOR OPENER.

No. 449,364. Patented Mar. 31, 1891.

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UNITED STATES arnnr truce.

.DQOR-OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,364, dated March31,1891.

Application filed April 24, 1390.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, DAVID IIAwKsWon'rH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Plattsmouth, Cass county, Nebraska, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Door-0peners, of which the following is aspecification.

The obJect of this invention is to provide a device which will enablethe fireman to open the door by means of his foot, leaving his handsfree to handle the shovel, being an improvement upon or modification ofthe dooropener described and claimed in Letters Patent No. 424,060,issued to me on the 25th day of March, 1890.

The present improvement is chiefly applicable to doors that openinwardly; and the invention consists in the details and features ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of the rear end of alocomotive, showing my device applied to the furnace-door; Fig. 2, anelevation of the operating mechanism and door; Fig. 3, a verticalsection on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of thearrows; Fig. 4, a sectional view of the operating-valve and connections;Fig. 5, a side View of the hand-lever and quadrant, and Fig. 6 a viewillustrating a modified form of cylinder, &c. lhe last five figures areon an enlarged scale.

A is the boiler-head; B, the door; C, a cylinder attached to theboiler-head; D, a piston, and D the piston-rod; E, a shaft supported inbearings on the boiler-head; F, a crankarm; G G G", arms and links; H, astop; I,

. a lever; t', a lug thereon; J, a quadrant; j, a

cam on the shaft E; K, the operating or foot valve apparatus; K, apush-button on the end of the valve-stem K 5 L, the air-reservoir; M, apipe connecting such reservoir with the valve apparatus; N and O, pipesleading from the valve apparatus to the cylinder O; P I exhaust-ports,and R a spring.

In a locomotive equipped with the present improvement the door B opensinwardly, as shown in the drawings, being suspended at its upper sideupon suitable hinges, as shown. A cylinder 0 is attached to theboiler-head in any suitable manner. In the drawings it is shownsupported upon trunnions on abracket Serial No. 349,247. (No model.)

0. In the case of a door suspended at the top of the furnace-opening thecylinder is preferably placed in a vertical position above the door, butin the case of a door hinged at one side the cylinder would then beplaced in a horizontal position at the side of thedoor, similarchanges'in position being made as to all the parts of thehereinafter-described mechanism.

A shaft E is supported in suitable bearings 6, attached to theboiler-head above the door. To this shaft is rigidly secured a crank-armF, and the piston-rod D is attached in any suitable manner to thiscrank-arm, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby as the piston D is moved up anddown the shaft will be turned in one direction or the other. To thisshaft at a point above the door is rigidly attached another crank-arm G,preferably of the shape.

shown in Fig. 3, and to the door is attached a lever or arm G, connectedith the lever G by means of a link G. On the other end of the shaft isloosely mounted a hand-lever I, provided withv a spring-lever I,engaging with the notches in a quadrant J, attached to the boiler-head.A lug 2', attached to this lever, engages with the cam j, rigidly seoured to the shaft.

Next I construct the foot or operating valve apparatus I. (Shown moreparticularly in Fig. 4.) This apparatus consists of a small cylinder,with a double piston-valve moving up and down therein and provided withfive ports, as shown-namely, one port connected with the reservoir, oneconnecting, respectively, with either end of the cylinder 0 and twoexhaust-ports. This valve apparatus is preferably placed beneath thefoot-board of the cab, and to the upper end of the valve-stem K" isattached a push-button K which. projects a short distance above thecab-floor at any convenient point therein and slides in the bearing orguide 7t. A spring Ris provided to raise the push-button when it isreleased. The pipe 0, connecting this apparatus with the lower; end ofthe cylinder 0, as shown, is provided with a checkwalve 0, through whicha small hole is drilled to prevent'the pressure of the air from closingthe door too rapidly. In the position shown in Fig. 4 communication isopen between the reservoir and the lower end of the cylinder, and theupper end ICO of the cylinder is open to exhaust through the pipe N. Ifnew the valve-piston be pushed downward, communicatioiris establishedbetween the air-reservoir and the upper end of the cylinder, and thelower end thereof is open to the exhaust.

On the shaft (2 is mounted a buffer or stop ll, (shown more particularlyin Figs. 2 and 3,) consisting of a thimble or socket pivotally mountedon an arm and provided, preferably, with a rubber bumper 71 The deviceoperates as follows: \Vhen the fireman desires to feed the fire, hepushes down upon the button K with his foot. This forces down thepistonvalve and allows the air to pass through the pipes H and N to theupper end of the cylinder, forcing down the piston D and turning theshaft E, which, by means of the connections above described, opens thedoor 13. The air from the lower end of the cylinder passes out throughthe pipe 0, raises the check 0, and escapes by the exhaust-port P. Thefiring being completed, the fireman removes his foot, and thevalvepiston is carried upward by means of the spring R on thevalve-stem. This opens communication between the air-reservoir and thelower end of the cylinder through the pipes M and O. The check-valve 0being seated, the air bleeds slowly through the hole drilled therein,and, entering the lower end of the cylinder, raises the piston D andslowly closes the door, the air in the upper end of the cylindermeanwhile exhausting through the pipe N and the port P. If for anyreason the cylinder or valve apparatus becomes inoperative, the door maybe opened by means of the hand-lever I. Asthis is moved outward from theboiler-head the lug 2' engages with the cam j and turns the shaft toopen the door, which is then held in any desired position through theengagement of the spring-lever I with the notches in the quadrant. Thelever being thrown back, the door closes by its own weight. The leverbeing loosely mounted on the shaft, the latter is free to turn when theautomatic opener is working without affecting the lever.

The buffer H, when in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, serves toprevent the door from entire] y closing when so desired. \Vhen not beingused, it may be swung around on the bar H to allow the door to fullyclose.

Although I have shown herein a double-acting cylinder, I do not considerthis as absolutely essential, since a sin gle-acting one might be usedinstead, the pressure of the air being utilized to open the door and a'spring or similar device to close it, as shown in my former patent abovereferred to, and as shown in Fig. 6. The cylinder 0, instead of beinghung on trunnions, may be rigidly supported and the piston-rod connectedby means of a link to the arm F, and similar changes of construction mavbe made Without departing from the spirit of my invention. The dooropening inwardly is more economical than the outside door, since it isout of the way, and allows the fireman to throw in his fuel while thedoor is opening without waiting for it to entirely open,as is the casewhen the door is on the outside.

Although I have described my device as operated by means of air, it willbe evident that either air or steam may be employed, as

desired.

I claim 1. In a door-opener, the combination of a double-acting.cylinder, a piston therein operated by fluid-pressure on both sides, aninwardly-openin g door, and means whereby the door is opened and closedby the movement of the piston, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a shaft E, having a cam j, an inwardly-openin gdoor B, connected to such shaft,alevermounted upon the shaft, having alug 2', and a stop H, secured to such shaft, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a shaft E, having a cam j, an inwardly-openingdoor B, connected to such shaft, and a lever mounted on the shaft,having a lug 1', whereby as the lever is operated the lug engages withthe cam to turn the shaft and open the door, substantially as described.

l. The combination of a shaft E, cariying arm Gand cam j, a door Bconnected to the arm G, a lever I, having a lug 1 mounted on the shaft,and a quadrant J, whereby the door may be opened and held in any desiredposition, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a shaft E, carrying arms F and G, a cylinder (3, apiston D, the rod whereof is attached to the arm F, and aninwardly-opening door connected to the arm G, whereby as the piston ismoved in the cylinder the door is opened or closed, substantially asdescribed.

DAVID IIAXVKSIVORTH.

Witnesses:

H. J. IIELPs, D. C. MORGAN.

